


It's too late (to go)

by TDaL



Series: The Red [1]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alpha Derek, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, BAMF Stiles, Canonical Character Death, Character Death, Dark, Emotional Manipulation, F/M, Gen, Hunter Stiles Stilinski, Hunter!Stiles, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Sassy Peter, The Hale Pack - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-16
Updated: 2013-08-16
Packaged: 2017-12-23 16:11:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/928506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TDaL/pseuds/TDaL
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I loved your family like my own! I loved you too! And you just left me here! My soul burned, scarred and hollowed out!" Stiles roared at him. He managed to get a swipe along Derek's chest, drops of blood flying around and splattering everywhere. Derek stumbled and Stiles slammed into him, forcing him down onto the ground. He let out a frustrated scream and stabbed down.</p>
            </blockquote>





	It's too late (to go)

**Author's Note:**

> So I was browsing through the Sterek section on Deviantart, just minding my own business when I stumbled upon one of the best fanarts I have ever seen. Thus this monster was inspired by [this](http://resave.deviantart.com/art/Little-Red-Riding-Hood-4-359781680) beauty. Title from Marianas Trench's 'Stutter'

There were people rushing around, hurrying past him as they set off to do their own things. It was loud too. So very loud. The nurses shouting out orders, wheeling people on gurneys to the ER. A woman next to him was sobbing, a little girl with a pale face shaking on her lap. Ten car pileup... Those four words were repeated several times and they hung in the air.

He had been brought to Beacon Hills Memorial earlier by the Sheriff. The old man had arrived on his doorstep earlier in the night, speaking hushed tones with his babysitter before he was nudged into the Sheriff's cruiser. An awkward silence had hung between them, because he had been too scared to ask the older man what exactly had happened. All he knew was that it wasn't anything good if the grim look on the Sheriff's face was anything to go by. So he sat back and stared out the window as they drove through the night.

Once arriving at the hospital he was shocked by how busy it was, even as he was pulled inside the ER, he couldn't help but stare at the sheer amount of people that were there.

Ten car pileup... Multiple victims killed on impact... My son! Where is my _son_?!

It had all hit him right in the face as the Sheriff led him inside and sat him down in the waiting room instructing him to stay seated while he went to go ask the doctors a few things. And now he was just sitting there, his hands clenched together as he stared at his knees. The noise and all the people around him had quietened down, though he knew that it wasn't because of them, but because of him. It wasn't good that he was here and he still had bad memories of this place. All too often he had been sitting in a waiting room like this. It had only been a few months since his mother had passed away. Since then he had associated hospitals with bad things. Nothing good ever happened in hospitals, or at least not for him.

His mind started racing as he thought about the implications of him being here. The people around him seemed to slow down and he couldn't see his hands properly anymore. His breath grew steadily quicker as he tried to gulp in some air. What was happening? Why was he here? When was the Sheriff going to come back so he could-?

He jolted when a warm hand came down on his shoulder and squeezed. It had been so sudden and unexpected that it pulled him out of his episode. For a few seconds all he could do was breathe and blink as he watched his hands slowly come back into focus, only after that did he dare to look up at whoever had placed their hand on his shoulder. The woman next to him was vaguely familiar. He must have seen her in town once or twice before. Her face was framed by shoulder length black hair and piercing blue - or wait was it green? - eyes. There was a soft smile on her face as she looked down to regard him.

"Why, hello there. Are you doing better now?" Her voice was nothing like he had expected it to be, but he found it oddly soothing. He tensed a bit as he replied to her. "H-hello. And I gu-guess." He fidgeted as he looked away from her piercing gaze.

 "That's good. I was a little worried there for a moment." Her grip on his shoulder loosened a little and it made him relax a bit more. She seemed like a nice lady and all, but his father had always told him that it wasn't a good idea to talk to strangers. He was about to tell her that when she started speaking again.

"The Sheriff called me here, asked if I could look after you for a little bit."

"It's my dad isn't it? I wouldn't be here if he was okay. Something happened to him right? Was he in the-?" Her hand moved down from his shoulder to his bicep as he spoke. His voice caught in his throat as he responded to her, each new sentence coming out in a more croaked tone than the previous one.

"You're right... Your dad was hurt and the Sheriff asked me if I could take you home for the night, because he sent your sitter home and he's busy so he can't look after you. My name is Talia Hale and you're-"

"Stiles. My name is Stiles."

-

They obviously thought that he was thick in the head and that he would believe every word they told him. It was just after Talia had introduced herself to him that the Sheriff came back into the waiting room, looking more ragged than before. He took her aside for a moment, a pinched look on his face as they stood to the side and talked to each other in low voices. The Sheriff sighed heavily and Talia placed a hand on his shoulder much like she had done for Stiles, then she turned back to the young boy and held out her hand to him. "Come Stiles, I'll take you to my house and you can get some rest alright?"

He had obediently taken her hand, looking backwards at the Sheriff as they walked off. One look on the older man’s face told him enough though. It took him all the inner strength that he had to not break down as he and Talia walked over to her car. Any other time he would have paused and marveled at her car, but now he was subdued as he was led to the backseat.

The drive to the Hale house was similar to the drive to the hospital. Stiles stared out the window, not saying a word and Talia sent several glances his way through the rear view mirror.

Once they arrived at the Hale house, Stiles balked for a moment at how big it was. The moonlight shone through the trees just enough for him to see how immaculate it was. Never before had he seen a house as big or as grand. The house was dark though and Talia picked him up when he got out of the car and carried him up the steps to the porch. It was strange being held like this. He was an eight year old boy and hadn't been carried in years. Talia was very strong though because she didn't look winded at all by the time she opened the front door and made her way up the stairs. She walked into a bedroom, walking past a desk to turn on a light to illuminate the room a bit.

 It was definitely a boy’s room. There were clothes strewn on the floor and there were posters on the walls with movies and cars. "This is my son's room, but he's on a camping trip with school so he isn't here right now. You can sleep here tonight and we can take the time to set up the guest bedroom for you in the morning."

 Talia set him down on the bed and kneeled down next to it so she could take off his shoes. He let her do it, even though he was perfectly capable of taking his shoes off himself. She also pulled off his hoodie and his jeans, leaving him in his t-shirt as she moved him further onto the bed and covered him with the blankets. Once he was tucked in she sat on the edge of the bed and placed her hand on his shoulder once more, her thumb rubbing soothingly over his skin.

"Do you think you're going to be alright here?" He hesitated for a moment before nodding.

"That's good. Now, if you need me I'm in the room right across the hallway. You don't even have to come out of the room if you don't want to, all you have to do is say my name and I'll be here as soon as I can." With another stiff nod Talia got up from her perch on the bed and crossed the room, turning the light off as she walked past.

He spoke up just before she stepped over the threshold. "I'm not going to see my dad again, am I?"

She paused, holding the door in her hand. "We'll talk in the morning Stiles. You should get some sleep now, it is way past your bedtime." With that she closed the door behind her and he could hear her soft footsteps as she walked over to her own room. He turned onto his side, curling up in the blankets. Now he was starting to feel how tired he actually was. The panic and fear that had been settling in his stomach was forgotten as he slipped into sleep.

-

He woke up screaming, tears rolling over his cheeks and his limbs tangled in the blankets. It was like a punch to the gut when he couldn't place where he was. Everything was different. He had never seen the room before. The smells were throwing him off. And all he wanted was to go home. All he wanted was his dad. Where was his dad?! It took a few moments for him to realize that through his panic someone had come into the room and climbed into the bed with him, holding him close to their chest and running their hands over his arms, and over his back as they muttered soothing words.

He fought in their grip for a moment, pounding on their chest as he tried to get away because whoever this was sure wasn't his dad. And he wanted his dad. He wanted his mom. He wanted either of them so badly. Whoever was holding him didn't seem fazed by his fighting and screaming though, holding him tightly and rocking back and forth until he finally, finally calmed down enough to take a deep breath and just sob against their chest.

He didn't know how long it was until he moved his head off of the chest, sniffing his nose. It could have been minutes, or it could have been hours. His gut already told him that it was Talia Hale sitting on bed with him and it didn't disappoint when he looked up and saw that it was exactly her. She ran her thin fingers through his shorn hair and smiled down at him. Her shirt was all wet and crinkled from where he had grabbed onto it and he reeled back, getting ready to apologize when she just shushed him and told him that there was nothing to worry about. With a sigh he leaned his head against her chest once more, closing his eyes as her fingers never once paused in their movements.

Eventually there was the sound of several doors closing and people walking down the stairs. "How about we go downstairs Stiles? I'm sure that you're hungry." He wanted to protest, not wanting to move from the comfortable position, but his stomach gave him away and he ducked his head in embarrassment as she chuckled.

"Come on now." Talia got out of bed and placed some clothes in his hand after he stood up. She stepped outside for a moment so he could change. It was just a dark green t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants that were too big for him, but they made him feel more comfortable. He peeked his head out of the room and spotted Talia. They walked down the stairs together and turned into a room that led to a large eat-in kitchen. There were already people there and he paused in the doorway, gripping the wall as he watched them all from afar.

There was a man standing by the stove cooking some eggs, two girls sitting at the table and a little boy sitting in a booster seat. Talia walked into the kitchen, passing the children as she made to pat to them on their heads become stopping next to the stove to kiss her husband good morning.

He gulped at the sight, his throat clenching at the scene in front of him. The small sound was all it took and a second later all of the people were looking at him. Stiles squirmed under their gazes.

"Don't be shy Stiles. Come on in. I promise my kids won't bite." The eldest girl scoffed at that and Stiles cautiously stepped into the room. He stared at the floor as he walked though, not wanting to meet anyone's gazes.

Talia moved over to him to place her hands on his shoulders. "Everyone, I'd like you to meet Stiles. He's going to be staying with us for a while. Stiles, I'd like you to meet my daughters, Laura and Cora, my youngest son Nick and my husband Andrew." He managed a weak hello before he was steered towards one of the chairs. He sat down and waited for Andrew to finish cooking and serve breakfast. Even while eating Stiles kept his eyes firmly on his plate. It hadn't been so bad before, when he was alone with Talia. But now he could feel the scrutinizing looks coming from the eldest daughter, Laura.

"Today's going to be a busy day for us all. I'm going to get Stiles some of his things from his place and you're going to help your father around the house. Laura, you're lucky because we're moving you to the third floor so Stiles can have a bedroom on the same level as us." Laura happily pumped her fist into the air at hearing that and Cora started complaining about how it was unfair that Laura could go to the third floor and she couldn't. Nick started babbling about he wanted to sleep in Laura's new room. It was slightly chaotic, but he liked it. Despite everything Stiles felt a small smile appear on his face. It was nice to see a family this close. Even if it made his heart sting at the sight of it.

-

Stiles met Derek, Talia's eldest son, the day after. The Saturday before had been very busy. He helped Andrew and Laura bring boxes of Laura's things up to the third floor while Talia stepped out to go to his house and get him some essentials. Somehow the day had flown by and before he knew it he was collapsing on Laura's bed- well, his bed now. Talia had promised him at dinner that they would talk, but he had fallen asleep before she had come into the room.

He slept in late the next day, the red numbers on the clock next to the bed reading 11:24 am. He took his time to wake up properly, rolling around under the sheets before getting up to wash up in the bathroom and get dressed. By then there were already smells of lunch wafting through the house, so he hurried down the stairs. He nearly fell down the last few steps when the front door swung open in front of him.

A boy stepped into the house, carrying several bags that he dumped right next to the door. There was a smile on his face before he paused and his body tensed. Stiles could have sworn that he actually took in a few sniffs before piercing eyes glared up at him.

Once more Stiles was at a complete loss. This boy’s eyes reminded him of Talia's. He just couldn't put a finger on which colour his eyes actually were. And he was just plain...pretty was the only word that he could think of. He was startled to find how nice he thought this boy looked and it caused his stomach to start rolling around. He stared stupidly until a low growl shocked him out of his thoughts. There was only one person who this could be, so he stepped forward to offer his hand. "H-hi. You must be-"

"Who the hell are you and what are you doing in my house?" The boy took a threatening step forward, his fists clenching at his sides. From behind Stiles he could hear footsteps rushing towards him, but before anyone else could reach him Talia walked through the door and smacked the boy upside the head.

"Derek. Weren't you listening to anything I was saying in the car? This is Stiles. He's staying with us for a while." Derek scowled as he rubbed the back of his head. There was a faint blush on his cheeks and that made Stiles giggle a little.

A small body slammed into him, arms winding around his leg. Stiles looked down and smiled at Nick. "'Tiles okay?" The little boy look up at Stiles with wide eyes and a pout on his lips. He ruffled Nick's hair like he had seen Talia do so often before.

"I'm alright Nick. You should go get some lunch before it’s all gone though." A hand reached out to pry Nick's arms off of his leg and he was surprised to see Laura and Cora standing by the bannister, similar looks of worry on their face.

He waved them off and they took their little brother back into the kitchen. Talia trailed after them, leaving him and Derek alone in the front hall. Taking a deep breath, Stiles walked up to him-

-

Talia finally found time to sit him down so they could have their talk the next day. Laura, Derek and Cora were in school and Andrew had taken Nick with him to the grocery store. At first he was kind of anxious to go back to school, but Talia had held him back, saying that they needed time to talk. He already knew what was coming. It didn't make it easier though. He was a slobbering mess by the time they were finished talking, with him perched on Talia's lap as she rocked them back and forth on the porch swing.

His father had been driving his rounds that night when the cars in front of him crashed into each other. He slammed on the brakes so suddenly that the driver behind him couldn't react fast enough and slammed into his car. He had been taken into the ER with a ruptured spleen and had passed away on the operation table.

In a few months’ time he had become an orphan. First his mom and now his dad. "It's going to be alright Stiles. I promise that we're going to take care of you." Talia had asked if there was anything he needed from his house, but he shook his head.

He stayed out of school that first week. Talia and Andrew had gone with him to the funeral, their warm hands on his shoulders the only thing that kept him from breaking down completely. He still had night terrors, nearly every night. Most often it was Talia who reached his room first and pulled him into her warm embrace, but Andrew had done it a few times as well. Once he had fallen asleep during the day and it had been Laura who came in to comfort him. Cora and Nick had climbed onto his bed with her once he had calmed down, Derek standing in the doorway as he watched over them.

Stiles was surprised by the fact that he rarely had any panic attacks though. It occurred to him that it might be because he was in constant movement. The Hale family was very active and the woods that surrounded their house were perfect to play in. He had been taken into the fold by the Hale siblings, even after the rocky start that he had had with Derek.

There was hardly a time when he was alone and actually had time to think about what had been happening to him. So, he concluded, less time to think about bad things meant less time to panic about them and have an attack.

It was exciting to go to school again. Cora was in the same grade as him, even though she was in a different class. But it made him happy to think that now he had another friend to play with. Scott was so excited that when he spotted Stiles he worked himself up so much that he had to use his inhaler. The two best friends hugged it out and took their spots in class.

It was strange, how easy it was to get back in his normal routine. That didn't take away the fact that there was a gaping hole in his chest, but the normalcy made him feel better. Talia was always there to pick him and Cora up after school.

One day he and Scott had even managed to talk Talia and Melissa into letting them have a sleepover. Their _first ever_ sleepover! Stiles was so excited, even when he was in bed with a snoring Scott next to him. He listened to his friend’s snores as he stared out of the window. A full moon was glowing behind thin clouds and he smiled up at it. Somewhere in the back of his mind he registered a howl and when he finally managed to sleep he dreamt that he was running through the woods behind the Hale house with a pack of wolves.

-

The longer he stayed, the more people that he met. Andrew had an older sister who had two kids of her own. Both of them were already older than he was, closer to Laura's age. They seemed accepting of him, but one had complained under his breath that Stiles smelled weird. He smelled his clothes once he was alone, but couldn't find anything smelly about him at all. So that struck him as odd.

Peter was his favourite though.  He came barging into the house with an exaggerated gesture one weekend with a giggling young woman behind him.

"Well, well. Who do we have here?" He kneeled down next to Stiles, holding a plastic bag. Peter pulled out a plush fox toy out of it and presented it to him. He looked at it for a moment before taking it from the older man and running his fingers over the silky, soft fabric. "Normally I would have given you a wolf, but I saw the fox and thought it fit you better from what I've heard from my sister."

Stiles surprised himself by launching himself off the couch and wrapping his arms around Peter’s neck as a thank you. The fox stayed close to him the rest of the day, its head peeking out of the pocket in his hoodie. He should have protested though, because everyone knew that at eight years old that he was actually too old for a plush toy. But he didn't mention it and neither did anyone else.

The young woman that had come in with Peter turned out to be his fiancé, Charlotte. That afternoon had been spent with hours of roughhousing in the forest, chasing each other through the piles of fallen leaves and playing hide and seek. Stiles was begrudged at how good the Hales played the game. Every time he thought he found the perfect hiding spot they managed to find him so easily.

The only rest he had gotten that day was when he and Peter were walking back towards the house. Peter swore that he had heard Talia calling them in for dinner, even though Stiles was sure he hadn't heard anything. "Peter..."

"Stiles, please. Call me Uncle Peter if you'd like."

"Uncle Peter..." It was a strange thing to say, but heartening at the same time. "Is it strange to find boys pretty?" He almost didn't ask, pulling on the tail of his fox that had somehow managed to stay in his pocket throughout all the stomping around in the forest that they had done.

Peter stopped next to him and Stiles jerked to a halt. He was scared that Peter would get mad at him. Before this, he had completely been in love with Lydia Martin, a spitfire strawberry blonde that was in his grade. But for some reason the butterflies that had been in his stomach had disappeared when he had come back to school after his father had passed away. It hadn't occurred to him at all where they had gone. Today they had suddenly reappeared with a vengeance when he was watching Laura and Derek wrestle in the leaves. At first it had confused him, but when he caught himself staring at Derek and thought how pretty he looked with a wide grin on his face and leaves tangled in his hair, he realized that the butterflies were there for Derek. That scared him a little. It made him uncomfortable because before this it was Lydia. His dad had been in love with his mom, Talia and Andrew were so happy together and even Peter and Charlotte always looked at each other like there was no one else in the world for them.

Peter's hand on his head immediately made him feel better. The familiar touch had become a comfort over the past few weeks and now he knew that it was okay. "Stiles, it's okay if you think boys are pretty. There is nothing wrong with that. It doesn't matter if you think you like boys or girls, as long as you're the one that is happy. Personally I think that both boys and girls are very pretty. You know, you should grow your hair out. It's much too prickly like this." Stiles giggled at that. He had his dad shave off his hair once his mom had started to lose hers. It had been this way for a while now and he never stopped his dad when he kept on shaving it.

Maybe he would let his hair grow. He had a new start now, a new family to belong to. This time when Talia called out he heard her. He felt so much better now. It had been the happiest day for him so far.

-

He learned about werewolves that January. It had become a thing that he stayed over at Scott's house whenever there was a full moon, but this month Talia had insisted he stay home. He had been taken aside by Talia and Andrew and they set him down in the office to talk to him. It was frightening at first. They had told him all of the specifics and checked to make sure that he was alright before moving onto the visuals. To say that he was scared at first was an understatement. Stiles had all but jumped a foot in the air when suddenly their faces contorted and changed into something entirely different. He had hidden behind the desk, though he automatically came out when he heard Talia's soothing voice call him. He crawled out and was facing straight at her. She kept on talking to him and he realized that there was nothing to be scared about because it was still Talia and Andrew, even though they had changed a little. Talia's eyes were a bright red compared to Andrew's yellow ones. They explained that Talia was the alpha, the leader of their family pack and that that was the reason why she had the red eyes. He had walked over to Andrew, placing his hand on the man’s forehead. "But where did your eyebrows go?" 

"Kid, you and I both want to know." Was the gruff answer he received.

After they stepped out of the office, Stiles started noticing things that he hadn't before. Cora and Nick were very restless. Even though they could apparently not change yet, the full moon still had an effect on them.

Peter and Charlotte came over at one point, followed by Tracey and her two boys. Once night had fallen most of the family left the house to run outside and Stiles was left with Charlotte and Gavin, Tracey's eldest son. They were both human like him. Gavin's father had been human and he had missed out on the werewolf gene and Charlotte come from a normal family that lived just outside Beacon Hills.

"Peter told me about him being a werewolf when we really got serious. I was scared at first and we fought, but I got over it because I love him. He and Talia asked me if I wanted the bite a while back. But I said no. Someone has to be slightly normal in this family right?"

The three of them stayed on the couch in the living room that night, Charlotte and Gavin sharing stories about what it was like to be human in a pack of werewolves. Stiles really liked the stories and the more that he heard them, the more he realized just how lucky he was that Talia and her family had been willing to take in a kid like him. His ADHD made him hard to handle, even though the werewolves could easily keep up with him and his slowly lessening night terrors and panic attacks. There was just a lot wrong with him and he was grateful that they had given him a place in their home.

"The one thing I cannot stand though is that there's no way to keep any kind of secret with these people! I make Peter’s favourite for breakfast when he's still asleep so I can bring him breakfast in bed, but he's already up as soon as he smells it! I'm just surprised that he hasn't told anyone I'm pregnant yet. He smelled it before I even had any idea and made me take a pregnancy test. By now the whole family knows of course because they can smell it."

"You're pregnant?" It was the only thing that Stiles had gotten out of her little rant.

Charlotte beamed at him, placing a hand on her stomach. "Only two months though, but yeah. If everything goes well then the lot of you are going to get a cousin!"

Stiles was ecstatic. He had always loved babies and now he was going to be a cousin! They talked deep into the night until Stiles passed out on Charlotte's lap.

-

There was a big tension hanging over them as the year progressed. Derek and Stiles had both had their birthdays, and a whole lot of cake because werewolves ate a lot. Talia became a bit distant in those months. She still picked Cora and Stiles up from school, but she was always looking around, hurrying them into the car.

He didn't understand what was going on. Even if Laura had pulled him aside once and whispered things in his ears about hunters and other wolf packs. He had his first combined night terror and panic attack in months the night that Peter and Derek had gone out and hadn't returned home one night.

Stiles woke screaming and had scratched his hands raw before Andrew came rushing into his room. He was shaking so hard and there was blood under his fingernails, even more blood dripping off of his hands. It took Andrew a very long time to calm him down. Even after Andrew had bandaged up his hands and gone downstairs to get him some tea, all Stiles could think about was the nightmare he had. There wasn't much that he remembered, but the thing that stuck in his mind was the memory of staring into a pool of deep, red blood.

Stiles had literally flung himself at Derek and Peter once they came trudging back into the house. The rest of the day he never strayed too far from their sides. The pack stayed together that day. In fact, no one really left the living room unless it was highly necessary. There were constant touches to reassure themselves that they were all safe at home. At one point Stiles mentioned that he thought they were like one giant, cuddly doggy pile and everyone groaned except for Peter, who laughed along with him.

Derek changed a bit after that. His mannerisms changed and he wasn't home as often as he was before. Laura was always chuckling behind her hand when Derek left the house to go out. When Stiles asked her what was wrong with Derek, Laura just smiled and ruffled his now lengthened hair and batted her eyelashes. "Young love."

He couldn't help but be jealous. Of course he understood that Derek was six years older than him and that he really liked this Paige girl, but he was jealous nonetheless. It made him sad when Derek came home with a lovesick smile on his face. Laura's smirk every time he came home like that told Stiles that whatever was going on between Derek and Paige seemed that it might actually be serious.

The next time Derek didn't come home at night, Stiles couldn't bring himself to sleep. At one point Talia had left the house to go look for Derek and he wanted to be awake when she got home. He wanted to hear straight away if Derek was okay or if something had happened to him. The front door opened at one point and Stiles shot out of his bed. He peered out his door, watching as Derek and Talia walked passed and went into Derek's room. The blood stain on Derek's shirt made him scared, but he waited until Talia went back to her own room to creep out of his. There was no doubt in his mind that she could still hear him sneaking around though. The light was still on in Derek's room and he could hear him sniffling. He pushed open the door cautiously. "Derek?"

"Go away Stiles." The older boy grumbled from his perch on the bed. Stiles wasn't deterred though and walked into the room, stopping at the foot of the bed. The entire time Derek kept his face hidden in his hands. He didn't say anything else, so Stiles took that as a sign that he didn't have to leave and sat down on the bed next to Derek. He hesitated for a moment before placing his hand on Derek's down turned head. Derek froze and finally looked up from his hands and Stiles was caught by eyes that had once been bright yellow, but were now a cold steel blue.

-

Things changed again after that. Talia relaxed a bit again, but she was still always on guard. Peter didn't come over as often anymore and when he did he got frequent glares from both Talia and Derek. And Derek... Derek became subdued.

He still participated in everything that the family did, but it wasn't with as much excitement or freedom as he had before. Summer rolled by and soon Charlotte gave birth to two girls, Lily and Kara. It was a highlight in the pack after that dark year that they had been having so far.

Charlotte was over at the main house more often than not so Talia could help her raise the little girls. Within their first few months it became clear that only Lily had been born a werewolf. Not that it mattered to anyone. Stiles was just happy when he was allowed to play with the girls. He was relishing in the fact that he was an older cousin and soaked up all the attention that the twins were willing to give him. 

Eventually the school year started up again and everyone started doing their own things. Laura was always in her room studying and doing homework because she wanted to get into a good university. Stiles spent a lot of time with Scott and Cora at school. Nick was going to stay home for another year instead of go to pre-K. Derek sequestered himself from his family, joining the basketball team and the swim team. The only time he was ever home was during dinner and at nights, that was if he didn't have practice or a meet or a game.

As the school year came to a close during winter break, Laura muttered to herself several times that Derek smelled peculiar. When Stiles asked all she said was that he either smelled very clean or completely drenched in the smells of the forest. No one else seemed to be making a fuss about it, so Stiles just filed it away as not important.

Before long the Wolf Moon arrived again. Stiles thought it was amazing how fast this year had gone. He had been living with the Hales for a year and a half now, known that they were werewolves for a year and he wouldn't have it any other way. He still missed his mother and father terribly, but the gaping hole they had left behind was filled by his new family.

As per usual Tracey, her sons, Peter, Charlotte and the twins arrived sometime during the day. Laura had gone off to school with Derek because she needed to finish a project and had asked her brother for his help. They had promised to be home before the run.

At one point, shortly after dinner, Stiles had wandered outside. He loved the Hales and extended family, but even for him it sometimes became too much to handle. He walked into the woods as the sun started to set, making his way to a small pond deeper into the forest. He sat by the water’s edge for a while before hearing footsteps behind him. By then the sun had set completely and it was only because of the bright moon that he could see anything.

It turned out to be Peter who had come outside to look for him. Stiles knew that soon all of the werewolves would go out and run the night away. He was looking forward to sitting with Charlotte, Gavin and the twins as they had their own little human circle, or in Lily's case because she was way too young to be out.

They sat side by side for a bit. When their comfortable calm was broken when Peter let out a strangled gasp and collapsed onto the forest floor.

"Peter?!" Stiles rushed over to his side and rolled him onto his back, startled to see that Peter had changed into his Beta form. He let out a shuddered gasp that sounded like Charlotte's name before pushing himself off of the ground and racing back in the direction of the house. Terrified, Stiles started running after him, tripping over roots and rocks as he tried to follow him.

There was the smell of smoke in the air and his stomach plummeted. Oh dear god no. By the time he made it to the house, it was completely on fire. He ran around to the back door to see if Peter had jumped into the blaze when he heard the screams coming from the side of the house. Peter was on his knees by the basement window, trying to grab the hands that were reaching out for his. Something was stopping him though. Something that made the searching fingers so close that they were just barely not touching each other. He was in shock as he watched Peter try everything to get past the invisible barrier, but nothing was working. He was screaming. Screaming for his wife. Screaming for his little girls. Screaming for his family that was slowly burning away.

They wouldn't die. Stiles realized. At least they wouldn't die quickly. Their werewolf healing would be in overdrive to keep healing them, but it would only just prolong their deaths. Stiles watched as his family burned alive and it was only when he saw how close the flames were to licking at Peter did he act.

He stumbled over to Peter, grabbing onto his shoulders to try and pull him away. Peter’s hands were already burnt, but they weren't healing. There was a sickly smell to the fire and Stiles knew that whatever it was, was stunting the healing process. He tried to pull Peter away, watching helplessly as there were fewer hands trying to reach out to them. Eventually it was just Talia and she stared at them through the bars for one last time and whispered, "Run!"

Stiles can't remember exactly what happened next. There was a sudden flash of light and then pain, so much pain. He and Peter were both flung backwards and Peter must have hit his head on something because he was unconscious. Stiles sobbed in his pain. There was a scorching ache on his left arm, going up to his neck. He screamed and rolled around on the forest floor in agony for what seemed to be hours before two bodies all but fell down right on him and Peter and slowly, slowly his pain started trickling away. Through his blurry vision he could make out someone leaning over him, could feel someone gently placing their hands on his burns to take his pain away. The voice that ran sobbing and broken through the night was Laura's. Laura who had been gone with Derek, Laura who was sitting next to him, begging for him to be alright. If Laura was next to him, then it meant that neither she nor Derek had been in the house at the time that it had burned and he let out a chocked sob in relief.

His consciousness start to fade away slowly, sirens ringing in his ears as his vision started blacking out. Laura's blaring red eyes were the last things he saw before darkness. And he embraced it. Embraced the darkness whole heartily as it surrounded him, which took him away from the knowledge that he had, once again, lost his family.

-

When he woke up again it was to a white ceiling, the beeping of machines and a sterile smell that hung in the air. He knew exactly where he was and hated the meaning of it. He was in a hospital. The one place in the world that he dreaded to be near.

His vision was blurred and his mouth was dry and the taste was awful. A second later someone was pressing a straw to his lips and he wanted to turn towards it, but he hurt so much. He drank the water though and he closed his eyes and groaned at the ache in his body.

"S-Stiles? Are you awake? Can you actually hear me this time?" He opened his eyes. It took some squinting before his vision cleared and he saw Laura sitting in a chair next to him. She was a complete mess. Her hair was everywhere and her clothes were rumpled. There were dark bags underneath her eyes and she looked just about ready to break down.

"Laura?" He croaked out, his throat still dry.

Tears started rolling down her cheeks as she tried to smile at him. "Hi Stiles. I'm so glad you're finally awake." He looked around the room, his eyes searching for others. She seemed to understand who he was looking for and started talking to him. "Derek is with Peter in the room across the hall. He woke up yesterday, but has hardly said a word to either of us. You were both burnt so badly and we don't understand why Peter isn’t healing..."

"What about the rest?" His voice was eerily calm as he spoke. Laura's eyes turned back to his with a wide look and her face crumbled. He knew. He knew ever before she said anything. It wasn't the look on her face that tipped him off, but he already knew, deep down inside that- "We're the only ones left. Everyone... Everyone else-"

She choked on her own words and somewhere in the distance he could hear the beeping of the heart monitor speed up. He couldn't see straight anymore and his breaths came out in short gasps. He couldn't breathe, couldn't get enough air into his lungs. He started thrashing around and could hear Laura telling him to stop moving or he'll hurt himself more. He heard Laura screaming for help and before long there were several people hovering around him, hands touching all over and it was all unfamiliar and he didn't want them, he wanted them all gone and then- sudden relief. It was like a cool breeze had washed over him and his eyes slipped shut once more.

The next time he woke up there was a doctor next to him. He calmly explained to Stiles that he had deep partial burns starting at the elbow of his left arm and going all the way up to just under his ear. He had been given skin grafts, but would most likely be scarred for the rest of his life. The thrashing that he had done during his panic attack had opened his wounds and they started bleeding profusely again, which was why they had had to sedate him.

The doctor told him about Peter and about what had happened the night of the fire. No one else had made it out alive, but he already knew that. A police officer came in along with a nurse. He sat down in another chair next to the doctor and started asking Stiles what had happened that night.

Had he seen anyone suspicious? No.

Had there been any kind of abnormality before he left the house? No.

What had he been doing when the fire started? Sitting out by the pond in the woods with Peter.

What happened when he got back to the house? It was burning. Everyone was still inside and they were screaming. No one could get out.

After that the doctor ushered the officer out of his room and he was left alone for a bit. Eventually Laura came back in, looking a bit better than she did before. She sat down next to him in silence, holding his hand and rubbing her thumb over the back of it.

It was over a month and a half later before he and Peter were sent home. Derek and Laura hadn't stayed with them during the entire time that they were in the hospital. Although Laura had dropped by often to hand Stiles homework so he wouldn't get too far behind on his studies. Going home was a complete mess though. They were in a hotel because there was no way they were going to stay at Peter’s place.

Peter hardly ever said a word, just staring into the distance as he sat on his bed. Derek was never around, only coming back to the room to sleep. Laura tried to set herself aside from them all, burying even deeper into her studies.

 Stiles just tried to keep living. He knew his renewed night terrors were keeping everyone else up at night and he felt guilty. Twice a week he went back to the hospital to talk with a psychologist and a grief counselor. It wasn't easy when he got back to school either. The kids had no idea how to act around him and every time an adult looked at him all he saw in their eyes was sadness and pity. Even Scott danced around him for a few days, but like the dork he was, one day he just sat down next to Stiles at lunch, placed his hand on Stiles' uninjured elbow and that was that.

The next couple of months passed by slowly until everything was shaken up by Laura telling Peter that she was still planning on going to university. "I'm still going to New York after I graduate, Peter. Derek wants to come with me and if you don't shape up, then I'm going to take Stiles with me as well. I'll fight for custody because there's no way that you can raise Stiles the way you are now."

It shook Peter up and he finally started talking again. Even if it was to argue with Laura.

Most days Stiles spent sequestered away at Scott's house. And at the end of the school year Laura had graduated and was packing her and Derek's meagre belongings into a few boxes. The fight between her and Peter was far from settled, but it was clear that Stiles was to stay in Beacon Hills while Laura and Derek ran away to the other side of the country. Stiles kind of wanted to go along with them, but he couldn't. He didn't dare leave behind the only place that he had called home. Even if it held pretty much nothing but bad memories.

And so Laura and Derek left with the vague promise of calling. There had been one box left on the bed though and Stiles couldn't help but go through it. The side read _'recovered items'_ and he pulled out a few things. Most of them were singed, but the last item made him laugh hollowly. It was the fox plush that Peter had gotten him. The fur on the tail was near complete black with burns and it was covered in soot and grime. He couldn't help but pull it close to him though. It was the only physical belonging that he had left to help him remember his family. The second one that he had lost.

 

 

\--

 

 

"-iles. Stiles. If you aren't careful, then you're going to cut your pretty little nose off."

Stiles stared at himself in the mirror. The razor in his hand was humming obnoxiously. He was almost completely finished with his monthly shave when somehow he had managed to get lost in his own memories. "Har di har har. If you aren't careful I'll cut your nose off. Now get in here and help me do the back."

Peter stepped into the bathroom with a low chuckle, taking the razor from Stiles' hands to shave the back of his head. They made quite the pair, he thought as he looked at himself and Peter in the mirror. Peter with his scars marring the side of his face and Stiles with his scars on his arm and up his neck. There had been some kind of wolfsbane concoction in the fire that night eight years ago, which was why Peter had never healed properly. It was still strange to see him look like that every day. It almost seemed like he had aged twice as many years than the ones that had passed.

Peter tapped him on the shoulder once he was finished, turned the razor off and left the bathroom. Stiles jumped under the shower for a few minutes to wash all the stray hairs off before dressing and going downstairs.

He and Peter were now living in his childhood home. Talia had decided not to sell the Stilinski household and he thanked her every day for it. All of the furniture had been put in storage along with an old blue jeep. Peter had offered to buy Stiles a new car once he got his license, but Stiles had refused. He remembered his mom driving around in the jeep and it still held sentimental value to him. Instead they had it completely worked on until it was almost as good as new. Of course Peter had a flashier car because 'at least one of us has class, Stiles.’

This particular Saturday morning Stiles was wearing his favourite red hoodie. The sleeves were rolled up passed his elbow as he ate his breakfast. Soon after he was finished the doorbell rang and he skipped over to the front door.

Laura was standing right outside, a wide smile on her face when she saw Stiles. "Oh my goodness! Stiles! Look at you!" She pulled him into a tight hug and held his biceps as she pushed him away slightly so she could take a good look at him. "I can't believe that you're taller than me now! And you look so skinny but you feel so buff. And what happened to your hair? Why are you back to a buzz cut?" She ranted on for a few minutes, taking in how much he had changed in eight years.

This was the first time they had really seen each other since she had left for New York. There had been calls a couple of times a year, but Laura had never come back to Beacon Hills before now.

"Calm down Laura. Do you want to stay outside or would you rather come in?" Stiles stepped aside so she could walk into the house. She took a moment to take it all in before Peter came walking down the stairs and she rushed over to him to embrace him as well. They all sat down at the kitchen table and talked for a while about how things had been over the last couple of years.

Lunch had passed by the time they settled down and got to business. "So you're telling me there's been attacks around the county? And that deer you found had-"

"A spiral carved into it, yes. I've been trying to track down who or what has been doing this, but I haven't been able to find much. I'm glad you could come down here to help us out."

"Of course." Laura smiled and reached out to pat both of them on the shoulder. "We're family. All you had to do was ask."

Peter stood up, telling her that they could show her the spot where the deer had been found. They continued talking as they walked out the front door with Laura complaining how she couldn't find a place to park in their street so she parked down the next road.

Stiles stayed behind for a moment, slipping something into the back of his pants before locking the front door behind him. He and Peter got into the jeep because it was better on rough terrain while Laura went to her own car. Peter had given her instructions on where to go and they all drove to the other side of town.

They walked deep into the forest until Peter stopped right ahead of them. The forest was thick here, so there wasn't a lot of sunlight shining in through the trees.

"Uncle Peter?" Laura walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. There was a ripple of change between the two of them, Peter's eyes turning yellow and Laura's becoming red. They slammed into each other and rolled on the ground to try and wrestle the other into submission. Stiles circled around them, watching the fight with a cold gaze, his fingers reaching back behind him to hike his hoodie up at the back for easy access.

Laura tried to get Peter to submit to her, but it wasn't working. She wasn't his Alpha. Somehow, during the scuffle, Laura managed to throw Peter off of her and she tore his clothes off with a growl, her body contorting as she changed into her full Alpha form. She looked eerily like Talia used to when she was Alpha. The same black fur and piercing red eyes, but she was smaller in size and had a patch of white on her forehead.

Laura would be a lot faster in this form so Stiles took the chance to run right into her, pushing her onto her side as he brandished the knife he had taken along with him. Laura let out a shocked bark and froze before she started fighting back. She cut up his arm and scratched his face, but she was too strong and overpowered him easily. She leaned over him, growling at him before Stiles wrapped his arms around her muzzle. "Now Peter!"

A second later Peter crashed into her, digging his claws deep into her side and ripping. There was a sickening sound of flesh tearing and a pained yelp and soon it was silent. His chest was heaving up and down as he breathed, not moving an inch from his prone position on the ground. He didn't want to look over to where they were. Didn't want to see Laura's mangled body. Even when Peter loomed over him, eyes gleaming red, Stiles just kept on looking at the sky. "Was that really-?"

"Necessary? Of course it was Stiles." Peter kneeled down next to him and ran his fingers over Stiles' cheek, smudging blood all over it. "We talked about this, remember? We both agreed that Laura would never go along with the plan, so I had to become the Alpha." It was true. They had discussed it. Thoroughly and often deep into the nights.

It didn't change the fact that at one point Laura had been like a sister to him and now she was dead and he had helped to kill her. "Come now. You should get on home and I'll take care of everything." Stiles got up and numbly walked off to where they had parked the jeep. Laura's death wouldn't be meaningless. They were well on their way to get vengeance.

-

Stiles had been twelve the first time that Peter had taken him to the shooting range. He let Stiles watch first as he showed him how to handle the gun. His hands had been shaking as Peter handed the gun to him. Peter stood behind him, telling him the best way to place his feet and moved his hands so he was holding the gun properly. The man whispered words of encouragement as Stiles tried to keep his hands from shaking. Eventually Stiles worked up the courage to squeeze the trigger once, twice and before he knew it, the magazine was empty. Peter showed him how to make sure the gun was safe to handle once more before flipping a switch and having the target come towards him. He handed it over to Stiles with a sly grin. "Whoa! Look at that! I hit it like, four times!"

After that, the shooting range had become a frequent visit for them. Within a year Stiles could shot exactly where Peter told him too and shortly after that they switched to moving targets. Practicing once a week helped Stiles improve with leaps and bounds and now he should shoot with pretty much everything he could his hands on.

Peter took him on his first hunt when he was fourteen years old and they had tracked down a giant elk and shot it down. Two years after Peter had taken him on a completely different hunting trip. A pack had been eradicated in Southern California and Peter had driven the both of them down so they could track down the hunters that had done it. It was oddly satisfying after they were done, even though he had had a panic attack back in their hotel room shortly after. It felt good though. Taking care of the people who were responsible for ruining even more lives just because people were werewolves.

He was sitting in the basement on the drawing table when Peter finally came home. The older man walked downstairs and smirked a bit at the sight of Stiles. He had bandaged up his arm and there were several smaller bandages on his face. "Don't we look rather dashing?" Peter walked up to him, tapping the side of the semi-automatic that he was holding. Stiles pushed away the searching hand. "At least I look better than you. What happened? I thought becoming an Alpha would heal all of your scars."

"Oh, they will heal. But it would be strange for me to suddenly be completely rid of my scars, now wouldn't it? I have doctor's appointments over the next coming weeks and apparently they've found this new revolutionary cream or whatever that will rid the blemishes off my skin. Or something like that at least."

Stiles scoffed, placing the weapon aside and leaning back on both of his hands. "Whatever you say, oh mighty uncle of mine. You're sure that this is going to attract hunters’ right? Preferably the Argents?"

"But of course. This was part of their...territory years back. Random animal attacks, a deer with a spiral on its side, a dead girl ripped in half. Don't you worry. Everything is going to plan. You should go to bed Stiles, school starts in the morning."

-

School was boring. Sure, it was his senior year and all, but it wasn't anything special. Scott had run up to him as soon as he had parked and swung an arm around his neck, joking about how they were finally seniors and that the year was going to rock.

He questioned the bandages on Stiles' face. "Dude. Scotty.  You know me, I'm too clumsy for my own good. Managed to take a tumble down the stairs this morning."

Scott gave him his usual dopey grin before his eyes went wide and he poked Stiles in the chest. "Did you hear about the body they found last night?"

"They found a body? Really?" Wow, either the Sheriff’s department was very sharp or Peter had placed Laura in an easy to find spot.

"Yeah. And that isn't even the strangest thing. Apparently she was torn apart. There were two pieces of her! I have no idea what would be able to do that to a person, but that's just plain scary!"

"Scary..." All Stiles could think about as they walked to their classes was the sound of Peter’s claws ripping open Laura's skin.

Scott nearly skidded past the table Stiles was sitting at during lunch. He slammed down his tray on the table and started ranting on and on and all Stiles could got out of it was ' _girl_ ', ' _pen_ ', and ' _I think I'm in love_ '. "Scott. Scott! I can't understand a word you're saying. You've got to slow down, man."

"Oh right. So I was in my first class and this new girl comes in. She sits down in front of me and she doesn't have a pen! So I gave her my pen and she smiled at me Stiles. It was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."

"Uh huh. Right Scotty. Why don't you find her and confess your undying love for her? What was her name anyway?"

"Allison. Allison Argent."

Stiles couldn't stop the smirk that appeared on his face.

That night Garrison Myers is brutally attacked by an animal in the school bus he was driving. There's a big crowd hanging around the crime scene the next morning and Stiles manages to get a peek. The bus is a complete wreck. The red splotches of blood clear on the windows. There are deputies swarming around the school, trying to find any kind of clue. A curfew is implemented.

A couple of nights later the clerk at the video rental store is attacked and brutally murdered. Jackson and Lydia are witnesses. Not that they can give much to the department. Jackson had been trapped underneath a fallen shelving unit and Lydia had been self-absorbed to pay attention. Everything was going to plan.

-

Everything was not going to plan.

"D-Derek?"

"Stiles? Is that you?"

"Yeah... How are you doing man? I see you're totally rocking the whole serial killer look."

Derek was doing more than rocking the serial killer look. He was a big hunk of sex. The dark jeans, grey t-shirt and leather jacket ensemble was to die for. God, Stiles was so happy that he could manage to keep his hormones in check every once in a while. Derek would be able to smell that so easily.

By now Stiles had lost count of how often Derek made him pause and just stare. There was no way he'd be able to call Derek pretty now. His mind couldn't even think of a word that fit him. He settled for just describing Derek with a desperate groaning sound in the back of his mind. It seemed appropriate.

"I'm fine." An eyebrow was raised as he was regarded. "You look...good too." Stiles chuckled nervously. It was before noon on a Saturday and he had opened the door with a yawn and nothing else on except sweatpants.

"Right! So you wanna come in or-?" Someone cleared their throat behind Derek and Stiles peered around him to see who else was there.

There were two women and a man standing there, all dressed in similar leather jackets. "Stiles. This is my pack. Iris," the shortest woman with long blonde hair gave him a smile, "Steven," the tall dark-skinned man looked down at him and nodded, "and Bonnie." The taller woman with short black hair waved at him.

"Wow. Yeah, that's awesome. You should have let us know that you were coming Derek." Stiles shifted on his feet and brought a hand up to scratch the scar near the base of his neck. Those impossible eyes of Derek never moved from the spot even as Stiles dropped his hand and stepped back.

"Derek?"

"Uncle Peter."

Peter walked forward with a smile on his face. A smile that told Stiles that he was not happy, not happy at all. He let Derek and his pack come in. He indulged himself by peering outside to see if they had come on motorcycles, but there was only a Camaro parked by the sidewalk.

With a hasty excuse Stiles hurried up the stairs to his bedroom so he could put a shirt on. When he joined them all downstairs in the living room they were already in a discussion. "I don't know what to tell you Derek. I don't know anything else."

Derek looked up at Stiles as he came into the room, his nostrils flaring. "Stiles. Do you know what happened to Laura?"

"She was supposed to come here last week. She was going to help us with all the strange things that have been going on, but she never showed up." Now Stiles was glad that Peter had got him to practice lying so often that there weren't any irregularities in his heartbeat.

"Like I said Derek. We don't know. Her body was found in the woods and we only heard a couple of days ago that it was a positive ID for Laura."

Derek leaned back in the couch, his leg moving up and down as he thought about it. It looked like he gave up when he let out a heavy sigh. "Alright. My pack and I are staying at the motel near the edge of town. We'll help you try to figure this out." He declined a drink and headed out with his pack, giving Stiles a nod as he walked past.

As soon as the Camaro revved out of sight Peter turned to him with a growl. "What is he even doing here? How did he even know that Laura was going to be here? She told me that she hardly ever spoke to him after he left to join a small ragtag pack and took over as Alpha after his died because of hunters!"

"This doesn't change anything does it? The Argents are in town and I heard Scott mention that Allison said her aunt was planning on coming back here for a little bit. "

"Of course this doesn't change anything Stiles. We're just going to have to be a bit more careful."

With Derek and his pack around, it was harder for Peter to sneak through town and get their targets. They were patrolling the perimeters of the town and in the forests. Reddick and Unger died a full week and a half behind schedule and by then, Kate Argent had already come into town.

-

It was easier to bait Kate than either of them had expected. She roamed around the charred remains of the Hale house with a few of her lackeys. It was a shame that Chris was never with her, but beggars can't be choosers.

They both went out one night, the first Stiles had been out with Peter since Laura. All it took was Peter to run by in his Alpha form for all of them to clear out of the house and chase after him. Stiles kept up with them as they gave chase in the woods, so in his element that the idiots never noticed the flashes of red between the trees parallel to them.

Peter was doing a good enough job by himself. Dashing out of the trees to take down one hunter after another. The last one had expected Peter to come out from the trees and was waiting for him. He somehow managed to keep Peter’s jaws off of him by holding his gun in Peter’s mouth, using it to try and push him off. Kate thought she had a shot at Peter, but Stiles pumped his Mossberg 500 and shot her right in the back. 

Peter managed to slash open the hunters throat as Stiles walked towards the spot where Kate had fallen. The ground was soaked in blood and Stiles smirked at Peter as he stepped right into it. "I guess I'm lucky that my boots are already blood red."

Peter had changed back and grabbed an overcoat that one of the hunters had been wearing. They both hovered over Kate, watching as the blood stained her pretty lips. "You." She gurgled at Stiles.

"Me." He answered with a self-satisfied smirk.

"I always wondered why they took you in. The bastards were too cocky for their own good."

"They took me in. They were my family."

She cackled, more blood coming out of her mouth. "I did you a favor! It's what I do sweetheart, I hunt monsters."

"That's funny..." Stiles pumped his shotgun again. "So do I."

-

He hadn't been expecting Derek to come to school the next afternoon and corner him in the locker room just before he left to go home. Now on else was around and Derek had grabbed him by the shirt and pushed him into the lockers, holding him there with a growl. "Did you have anything to do with Kate Argent's murder last night?"

The bloody crime scene was front page news in Beacon Hills and had been on TV and the radio that morning. "K-Kate's murder? Derek! You have got to be kidding me!"

"I asked you a question Stiles."

"No! I didn't have anything to do with her death! Why would I want to kill Kate Argent? I've never met the woman before!"

Derek's nostrils flared as he tightened the grip on Stiles' shirt. He shook him again, causing him to bang his head against the lockers. "Iris put it all together. All the people that have been dying are connected to the fire."

"The fire? What fire-?"

"The fire that killed our family!"

His breath caught in his throat as Derek screamed that at him. He had never seen Derek so forceful or angry before. It was scaring him, but at the same time it was a major turn on. Red eyes flashed at him when he didn't answer fast enough to Derek's liking.

"A-all those people are the reason why everyone is dead?" He croaked out, staring into Derek's eyes. They were green in this light. "Well, good riddance!" He spat out venomously. "If they were the reason that I lost my family, then why am I supposed to care?! God Derek. I lost my family twice already. Three times if it counts that you and Laura left for New York. If they killed everyone then I-... I applaud whoever is taking care of them!"

Stiles tried to say more, but he couldn't get himself to. He and Peter had never talked about it like this. He had never bared himself to Peter or anyone before. He broke down then, letting out a strangled sob as Derek's grip on his shirt loosened. The feeling of being pulled into Derek's embrace was so freeing. Derek held Stiles against him like Talia used to do when he woke up from his night terrors. Holding him impossibly close as he shushed him, rubbing a hand over his head as he rocked them back and forth. It took all the self-control that Stiles had to calm down again. He let Derek keep rocking him as he let out one last shuddering sigh. One part of him was complaining that he was being held like he was a little kid, he was already eighteen for goodness sake! It was easily squashed down though, as he let himself just enjoy being held by Derek.

Eventually he let Derek maneuver him to his jeep. Derek took the keys and drove them home. He joined Stiles in his room, the both of them laying down together on the bed. After a while Derek moved and placed a surprisingly soft hand on his neck, tracing the burn scar. It had gotten less over the years, but it was still an ugly reminder of what had happened to him. Stiles reached up and placed his hand on top of Derek's, softly running his tips of his fingers over the skin.

“Do you think Peter might be the one who is doing this?" Derek finally spoke. Stiles was ready to object to the claim but Derek interrupted him. "No, listen. If it isn't you and it isn't me, then Peter is the only one who could have killed Laura, taken her Alpha powers from her and been killing all of the people who were involved with the fire. Look at how his scars are suddenly healing so well."

"Derek. Peter has been seeing doctors for years trying to get rid of his scars. Now that they've finally found something that works I'm not going to question it. He's Peter! Our uncle! Do you really think he'd be capable of killing Laura?"

Derek narrowed his eyes, moving his hand so it was cupping Stiles' cheek. "That's the thing. The Peter you live with isn't the same Peter we grew up with."

"Of course he's different! He watched his family, his wife and daughters _burn_ to death. Are you telling me that that wouldn't change you? Geez. You're such a dense sourwolf." Stiles chuckled at the nickname when Derek's eyebrows let him see how exactly he thought about it.

Peter didn't disturb them when he came home and Stiles feel asleep next to Derek. It didn't matter to him when he woke up and Derek was suddenly gone, because he was too busy trying to wipe the stupid grin off his face before going downstairs to suffer through breakfast with Peter.

-

The rest of the Argents was the last challenge. But somehow they found a way to lure Chris, Victoria and the few lackeys that were still left. It was astounding how a simple letter got all of the hunters out on high alert.

He was getting ready downstairs when Peter finally came into the front hall. "Are you ready for this?"

Stiles leaned against the wall, one of his gloved hands in his red hoodie and he kissed the barrel of his beloved silver Desert Eagle. "Of course I'm ready. Let’s end this." He spoke from underneath his hood.

They climbed into Peter’s car and drove off to where they would meet the Argents. It seemed poetic to Stiles as they stood across from each other in the small clearing where Kate had died not even a week before. Chris and Victoria were obviously ready to see Peter saunter into the clearing, but not even they could hide the shock on their faces when Stiles sauntered along with him, in full hunting attire. "Stilinski, you're-?"

"I see that my reputation precedes me. I must say, I am honored that the Argents know who I am."

One of the hunters moved to grab his firearm, but Stiles was quicker. He whipped his Desert Eagle out of his thigh holster, flipped off the safety and shot the hunter right between the eyes in a split of a second. You would have missed it if you had blinked.

He smirked over at Chris, whose eyebrows were furrowed. "Look, I understand that Kate did something very wrong, but that isn't supposed to happen. That's not the way that we work!"

" _Nous chassons ceux qui nous chassent_ , my ass." And that's what set it off. A second later Peter was ripping off his trench coat and changing into his Alpha form. The hunters all brandished their weapons, ready for the counter attack.

The fight was a blur for Stiles. It all happened so fast. Before he knew it, Stiles was standing over Chris who was lying next to his wife as she slowly bled out. He was about to say something when Chris managed to grab a gun that had fallen under his wife and shot him in the chest. His breath was stolen from him as he leaned over and fell down onto his knees, clutching his chest.

Peter roared behind him and leaped over his head. There was a sickening crunch and a second later Peter was kneeling down next to Stiles in concern. "Stiles? Oh god Stiles, are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I'm fine." Stiles lifted up his hoodie, showing the bullet-proof vest underneath it. "I knew that it was a good idea to wear this thing today." He and Peter both laughed at that. They weren't done yet though.

Stiles got up with a groan and walked over to Chris' body, nudging it over with his foot so he could reach into his jacket pocket and grab his phone. The idiot didn't have it locked, so all Stiles had to do was go to the contact list and hit call. It rang a few times before it was picked up. "Hey dad, you don't have to worry. I'm just doing my homework."

"A-Allison? This is Stiles..."

"Stiles? What are you doing with my dad’s phone?"

"Allison... I don't know what to- I'm on the south side of the forest and I was walking and... You need to get down here."

"What happened? Stiles! Are my parents alright?" There was a crash on her side of the phone and he could hear her breath catching up in worry for her parents.

"You should get here right away. I already called 911 but I don't know how long they'll be able to hold out."

"Oh god Stiles! I'm on my way. Tell them that I'm going to be right there and they need to hold on!"

She hung up and Stiles stared at the end screen. The call had only lasted two minutes and eleven seconds, but it was enough time for her to sign her own death sentence. He took the back off and took out the memory card and phone card before tossing the phone onto Chris' body.

Peter grabbed his overcoat, hiding in the shadows of the trees around them.

Allison came running into the clearing not ten minutes later, frantically calling out for him. She came into view, cheeks red and eyes wide when she saw her parents on the ground. She let out a shriek and rushed over to them, falling to her father’s side. Her hands shook as they hovered over him, terrified of reaching down to touch him. Then she looked up at Stiles, who was staring off into the trees were Peter had disappeared. "Stiles? Do you know what happened to them? Where are the paramedics? It can't take them this long to get here."

"No, you're right. The paramedics would've been here long before you. But you have to call them for them to get here." He gave her a shrug, reaching up behind himself to scratch at his head through the hood. She gave him a confused, bewildered look. Her brows furrowed and her mouth pursed as she kept looking at him. It was stupid how long it took her to realize what was happening and that it took him grabbing his Desert Eagle and pointing it at her for it to click. "S-Stiles? Was th-this because of you?"

He sighed at her, cocking his head to the side. "Partially. It would be hard for me to take out six hunters on my own now wouldn't it?"

"Hunters? I have no idea what you're talking about!"

"I know you don't. But that doesn't matter, because if you stay alive then you're going to become just like your aunt. Me explaining doesn't really matter either."

Allison fell back on her hands, her eyes red and blotchy as she cried. "Why? I thought you were Scott's friend. I thought you were my friend!"

"I guess you could say we were friends... But you being bait matters more to me than your friendship. See, we're after the big kahuna."

She didn't even get the chance to scream before he squeezed the trigger. The sound of the gunshot came right at the same time as an enraged roar and he was just able to see Allison fall into a pool of her own blood just before someone slammed into him.

A clawed hand covered his mouth and his left hand came up to grab the wrist as his right moved up to shove his Desert Eagle at the person’s jaw. His cold gaze glared up into bright red eyes. He ignored his plummeting stomach when he saw that it was Derek who was digging his claws into his cheeks.

Derek's eyes were wide with disbelief as he breathed heavily. As if he couldn't believe that it was Stiles who was standing here and that it was Stiles who had shot Allison. "This was you? You're the one who's been killing people?"

Stiles smirked behind Derek's hand, waiting for him to pull it back a little so he was able to speak. "Sure. You could say that. I didn't kill all of them though. Only Kate, Allison and some hunters. The rest of them were all Peter’s handiwork."

Derek stared at him, obviously not being able to connect the fact that it was Stiles who was confessing to killing people. "Did you like my acting skills? I practiced a lot."

Derek let out a snarl and tightened his grip again. There was a growl that came from the trees behind them and Stiles spotted Peter’s red eyes as he circled around them. "It isn't that hard, Derek. They were all part of the family that burned ours to death. We're just looking for justice."

"Justice? This isn't justice! This is _murder_ Stiles!"

"I loved your family like my own! Your parents were like mine as well to me! I loved them all! I loved _you_ too! And you just _left_ me here! My soul burned, scarred and hollowed out! I _loved_ you!" Stiles roared at him.

He made a move to shoot his gun, but Derek whacked it out of his hand before he could get a shot off. He flicked his wrist to get a blade to slide out from where it was hidden under his sleeve and he managed to get a swipe along Derek's chest, drops of blood flying around and splattering everywhere. Derek stumbled and Stiles slammed into him, forcing him down onto the ground. He let out a frustrated scream and stabbed down-

-

_He waved them off and they took their little brother back into the kitchen. Talia trailed after them, leaving him and Derek alone in the front hall. Taking a deep breath, Stiles walked up to him and he tugged on the hem of Derek's shirt until the teen kneeled down in front of him. His small hands framed Derek's face as he tilted his head so he could kiss him on the forehead. "Your mom let me stay in your bedroom tonight. I know that you weren't here, but I still want to say thank you." Derek looked over at him and they smiled at each other. It looked like things were going to be just fine between them._


End file.
